Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day star as Ben and Jo MacKenna, an American couple on vacation traveling in Morocco in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1956 remake of his own 1934 hit thriller.
When a murder takes place in a marketplace the victim whispers a cryptic message to Ben MacKenna. The message he receives makes the family a target for the murderers who attempt to ensure his silence by kidnapping his young son. Unable to trust the authorities to help them and with their boy in jeopardy, the MacKennas try to follow the trail of the kidnappers and rescue him on their own.
The opening of the picture, which takes place in Marrakech, is intriguing as we see Ben and Jo out of their depth, both in terms of their understanding of the customs in Morocco and also in dealing with the people they encounter. In one particularly amusing scene, Ben struggles first with the low seating in a restaurant and then with learning how to eat a local delicacy.
These early moments amuse and entertain as we take in the sights and sounds of a busy marketplace. That is, before the tourists are witness to the murder. At this point the film becomes less amusing and more focused on driving its far-fetched story forwards.
We learn that the murdered man had knowledge of a plot to assassinate a public figure, yet the script is largely silent on motive. In any case, Hitchcock drives the story forwards at such a pace that it rarely pauses to expand upon its background.
John Michael Hayes’ screenplay is mostly competent although it packs a few (presumably) unintentionally comical lines, the best of which is “Don’t you realise that Americans dislike having their children stolen?”. Fortunately Jimmy Stewart gives a particularly good, passionate performance and conveys both the panic of losing a child and also a determination to remain calm for the sake of his wife.
Doris Day is also good here, although the producers clearly were desperate to make use of her extraordinary voice. She sings “Que Sera, Sera”, a song written specially for the film, on several occassions. She handles it nicely but it sits awkwardly alongside the narrative. Despite this gripe, she performs solidly and does a good job portraying her despair at the loss of her son.
It is the second half of the film, which moves the action away from Morocco, which failed to satisfy me. Once we move away from that exotic locale it becomes much simpler to tell friend from foe, reducing the levels of intrigue. It also becomes clear that the plot to this film is never properly set out and we might ponder precisely what the plotters hope to gain with their planned assassination.
Wrong turns are taken by Ben and Jo, possibly to surprise the audience but more likely to flesh out the running time of the film. Hitchcock’s introduction of Jo’s friends into the narrative also feels like an attempt to stretch this film’s running time. Given that the film lasts for just short of two hours this feels like a mistake and the film could easily have been improved for being shorter.
There is actually little that is terribly wrong with The Man Who Knew Too Much. The problem with the film is that it also does relatively little to stand out from Hitchcock’s other works, feeling more comfortable than thrilling.
Attractive visuals and a typically excellent performance from Jimmy Stewart make The Man Who Knew Too Much an interesting film, but it attempts little new and feels too comfortable in its own skin. Hitchcock is always at his best when he challenges himself - here he sets himself no limitations and explores no new ground. Given what he was capable of at this point, he disappoints by delivering a simple, competent romp.